Published May 07, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 17\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
![\"Erie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/co-otters-vs-frontenacs-3.jpg\")
Kingston Frontenacs Vann Williamson, during his pre-season tilt against the Erie Otters at the Cornwall Civic Complex on Saturday September 9, 2023 in Cornwall, Ont. Erie won the game 7-3. Robert Lefebvre\/Special to the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder\/Postmedia Network Photo by Robert Lefebvre \/Robert Lefebvre\/Special to the Standard-FreeholderArticle content<\/p>\n
For the Kingston Frontenacs and their coach Troy Mann, the past week has been a bad-news, good-news situation.<\/p>\n
Advertisement 2<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.1.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-kin.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS<\/p>\n
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your community.<\/p>\n
Unlimited online access to all articles on thewhig.com.Access to subscriber-only content, including History: As We Saw It, a weekly newsletter that rips history from our archives, which span almost 190 years.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your community.<\/p>\n
Unlimited online access to all articles on thewhig.com.Access to subscriber-only content, including History: As We Saw It, a weekly newsletter that rips history from our archives, which span almost 190 years.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n
REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n
Create an account or sign in to keep reading.<\/p>\n
Access more articles from thewhig.com.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Get email updates from your favourite journalists.<\/p>\n
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n
Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n
or<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
Defenceman Vann Williamson caught management off guard with his announcement that he\u2019ll be heading to Clarkson University in the fall rather than returning to Kingston for his overage season.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
When the Frontenacs named the 19-year-old from Ajax captain after the trade of Jacob Battaglia to Flint back in January, all involved seemed locked into a script that had Williamson coming back for the 2026-27 campaign to lend needed experience to a blueline group that would skew on the younger side.<\/p>\n
The buy-in became a no-sale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI certainly did not see this NCAA commitment coming,\u201d Mann admitted. \u201cWe made him captain anticipating him being one of our three overagers and leading our team next season. And he was just so coachable and prepared in terms of delivering that message to his teammates in the room. And it seemed to suit his personality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mann did allow that Williamson was likely sincere when signing on, but situations change and influences beyond the team can factor into the mix.<\/p>\n
The Kingston Whig-Standard’s Noon News Roundup<\/p>\n
Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
Advertisement 3<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of pressure on these kids now,\u201d Mann said. \u201cWhen they start looking at their peers and they\u2019re all trying to develop to quickly in my opinion. They see 20-year-olds leaving the league and going to the NCAA, so they feel like they have to do the same regardless of where their own development might be.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for many overagers and junior-eligibles it might be a case that a college program would be a source of the pressure to make commitments a season too soon lest a window close or an opportunity be lost \u2014 Williamson might have reasonably had concern that an offer from Clarkson that was in place for the fall of 2026 wouldn\u2019t be there a year later after playing out his overage season with Kingston.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just so much politics out there and so many mixed messages,\u201d Mann said.<\/p>\n
For the Frontenacs, it\u2019s decidedly mixed on the news front.<\/p>\n
Centre Kieren Dervin scrubbed his commitment to Penn State because the Nittany Lions coaches were recommending that he play another year in the OHL, and he\u2019ll be heading to Michigan instead.<\/p>\n
Advertisement 4<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
Dervin\u2019s situation in contrast to right-winger Landon Wright and centre Matt Frost, who signed commitments to the University of Maine and Boston College respectively \u2014 their schools are advising them to play another year of major junior and thus they seem likely fits for two of three overage slots on Kingston\u2019s roster.<\/p>\n
Another player who might be hearing the siren call is goaltender Matt Minchak \u2014 when the New Jersey native came to training camp last fall as an undrafted free-agent on a tryout, he said he planned to play two seasons of major junior before heading to the campus of Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, in the fall of \u201927. While his surprising early-season form landed him on NHL scouts\u2019 radar, Minchak might believe he\u2019d see more game action next season in the collegiate ranks than he might if it came down to another contest for starts with Gavin Betts, who won the No. 1 job in January and held it into the playoffs. If Minchak is selected by a club in the NHL entry draft, his prospective employers will likely point him in one direction or another.<\/p>\n
Advertisement 5<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
Until everybody reports to camp, you have to imagine that the depth chart will remain in a state of flux.<\/p>\n
One wholly positive development recently, however, was the play of Adam Goljer for Slovakia at the world under-18 championships in Trencin.<\/p>\n
The Frontenacs selected Goljer with their second pick in the 2025 import draft and the NHL Central Scouting Service\u2019s final rankings he was slotted No. 14 among draft-eligible European skaters, sixth among defencemen in the pool.<\/p>\n
Off his play at the U18s, that projection might prove to be on the conservative side \u2014 Goljer might well be closer to a late first-round pick than a third- or fourth-rounder.<\/p>\n
Logging 20 minutes a game and manning the point on the first power play, Goljer was the lead defenceman on the host team which knocked off Canada in the U18s\u2019 preliminary round and lost to Sweden in the gold-medal final. Officials named him the tournament\u2019s top blueliner and put him on the all-star team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got some offensive ability and a real good hockey IQ,\u201d Mann said. \u201cLike any young defenceman, he\u2019ll probably need to learn to defend better. With him coming over hopefully and giving us top-four minutes and playing on the power play, he can be pretty impactful and important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Advertisement 6<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
While Goljar\u2019s accolades at the tournament suggest a significant upside for the upcoming season, Mann tried to temper expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see it with players coming over from Europe where they played (on the larger international sheet),\u201d Mann said. \u201cLike with Tomas Pobezal last season, he talked about things happening quicker on the ice here and that\u2019s coming off playing in a pro league \u2014 it\u2019s just the nature of the game going from Europe to a smaller ice surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
The adjustments and learning curve notwithstanding, Mann does envision a significant contribution from Goljer in his 18-year-old season. \u201cHe played pretty well at the world juniors last winter and was an anchor on the Slovaks\u2019 second power play, playing top-four minutes for the most part,\u201d Mann said. \u201cHe seemed to do pretty well playing at a really high level.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while the arrival of Goljer mitigates the loss of Williamson, the blueline remains a crying need, with a pair of last year\u2019s 20-year-olds, Will Bishop and Maleek McGowan aging out.<\/p>\n
While the Frontenacs will certainly be looking for defencemen at the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, it would be a big ask (or even an unreasonable one) for anyone other than a first-rounder to step a top-four role on Kingston\u2019s blueline next season \u2014 even 2025 first-rounder Matthew Henderson was protected in match-ups and managed in third-pairing duties.<\/p>\n